Sophomore Class Council Hosts Inaugural Halfway Formal

Regardless of how you write one-half—two-fourths, four-eighths, six-twelfths—the fraction and its equivalents indicate a perfect middle mark between beginning and end. Members of the Boston College Class of 2019, who will soon complete year two of four on the Heights, are nearly halfway finished with their undergraduate careers.

On Friday night, the BC 2019 Class Council hosted the first annual Halfway to Graduation Formal in Gasson Hall. Adorned with white string lights, the walls of Gasson 100 were aglow while music thumped and classmates danced across the floor. Tall tables draped in purple fabric provided formal-goers with a place to rest and chat. Occupied throughout the night, a photo booth featuring silver 2019 balloons gave students the chance to commemorate year two with a smile.

Before Friday night’s formal, the 2019 Class Council hosted two events that commemorated the halfway mark. On Wednesday morning, 2019 Class Council members set up white boards on O’Neill plaza for its “Goals to Graduation” event. As students strolled across the plaza, they were invited to write their goals on the board, filling up blank space with hopes and expectations. Students wrote phrases like “survive and thrive,” “find groomsmen,” and “make lifelong friends.”

“During our Goals to Graduation event, a bunch of juniors told us they wished there were events like this sophomore year,” said Maddie Kane, a member of 2019 Class Council and CSOM ’19. “Everyone lives in the day to day, so it can be hard to look ahead, long-term.”

On Friday afternoon, the 2019 Class Council hosted another event that carried a sentiment of change, called Dear Future Me. Held in the Vanderslice Cabaret Room, the event gave students the chance to write a letter to their senior selves, which would be delivered to them during their final year on the Heights. Students wrote about who they hoped to be in two years, what they want their future selves to know, and how they feel about their BC experience thus far.

“The purpose of class council is to promote class unity, start new traditions, and give students the support they need,” Kane said. “We wanted our classmates to reflect on their time here so far, and set goals for the next two years.”

These reflection-centered events primed students for Friday night’s formal, which gave sophomores the chance to get dressed up and dance the night away in one of BC’s most beloved buildings.

Kane and her fellow class council members hope the Halfway to Graduation Formal becomes an annual tradition. Members of BC’s 2020 Class Council helped set up Gasson 100 and worked with BC’s 2019 Class Council to learn more about planning such an event.

“Our supervisor told us to enjoy the event while we could because three hours would go by fast,” Kane said. “In a way, that comment really represented the event itself. It made me realize that the next two years would go by fast, too.”

Planning for the formal began in the fall of 2016. The idea for the formal stemmed from two concerns. First, many students had mentioned to council members that at times, they felt like they were missing out on the formal affairs put on by other universities. Second, the final weeks of sophomore year indicate one of the last times classmates will be on campus together before senior year—during junior year, classmates are split between on- and off-campus living, and many students go abroad for at least one semester.

“We’re on the threshold of the next stage in our lives,” Kane said.

There are nearly 2,300 members of BC’sClass of 2019. Two summers ago, these students flooded to BC’s campus for Welcome Week. They unpacked clothes, books, and toiletries, and settled into dormitories they would call home for the next nine months. Soon, rivalries between Newton and Upper kids began. Marked by football games, club applications, and Kerry Cronin-style dates, the fall semester came and went. By the end of spring semester, the members of the class of 2019 had survived their first housing lottery, rallied for Marathon Monday, and finished a year on the Heights.

After two more semesters, sophomore year is coming to a close for members of the Class of 2019. Sophomores have 777 days until graduation. “We’re taught to be present in the moment, but it’s important to plan ahead too,” Kane said. “It’s a little scary, but it’ll be interesting to see what comes next.”